Mughal Empire AH 1147/17 rupee KM-436.46
This specimen was lot 1893 in Stephen Album sale 32 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2018), where it sold for $4,112.50. The catalog description[1] noted,
"MUGHAL: Muhammad Shah, 1719-1748, AR nazarana rupee, Murshidabad, AH1147 year 17, standard Mughal inscriptions, from finely engraved dies on a broad flan, unpublished and probably unique, EF to About Unc, RRRR. In 1704 (AH1116), the quasi-independent Mughal governor of Bengal, Murshid Quli Khan, moved his capital from Dacca (Dhaka) to Makhsusabad, changing its name to Murshidabad in honor of himself. He acquired the title of Nawab of Bengal in 1717, which he held until his death in 1727, succeeded by Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Shah, who remained the Nawab until his death in 1739. This coin is clearly a carefully engraved presentation rupee on a broad flan, struck from special dies of greater calligraphic elegance than the ordinary rupees of the same mint & period (e.g., the rupee of the same date & regnal year illustrated in the KM catalog). The Hijri year 1147 extended from June 1734 to late May 1735, but I have not found a specific reason for the issuance of this exquisite rupee. It is possible that some event occurred between Shuja-ud-Din at Murshidabad and the East India Company in Calcutta, perhaps a token of honor presented to the British in exchange for an end to previous conflicts. Mintage at Murshidabad commenced about AH1115 as Makhsusabad, changed to Murshidabad in 1116, remained the capital of the Nawabs of Bengal until ceded to the British in 1174 (1761 AD)."
The Mughal Empire stretched over most of India in the early eighteenth century and numerous mints struck gold mohurs for the emperor. The Mughal Empire dominated India during the seventeenth century but broke up in the eighteenth century under external attack, Hindu rebellion and civil war. This collapse allowed European colonizers entry into the subcontinent and eventual British control. The SCWC lists over sixty mints for this ruler's reign.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 11.0-11.6 g, silver, this specimen 11.61 g.
Catalog reference: KM-436.46var.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 32, featuring the Don Erickson Collection of German Coins, Part II and the Hazerfans Collection of Ottoman Empire Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2018.
Link to: